As I’m watching him completely dissect the Redskins’ defense on Monday night, a thought came to me: Would Michael Vick have become the quarterback he is right now if he hadn’t lost everything three years ago?

Vick still has a long way to go. He currently leads all quarterbacks with a 115.1 rating and he’s yet to throw an interception in 153 pass attempts this season. But none of the four teams he’s beaten (the Lions, Jaguars, Colts and Redskins) own a defense in the top 15 and he missed three and a half games with a rib injury this year.

Four games does not a MVP make.

But I watched Vick run around the Georgia Dome for six years and that Vick was not the same player you see today. The Falcons were lucky if he would go through two of his progressions before taking off and running and even when he did throw, you didn’t know if the pass would wind up in his receiver’s hands or the waiting arms of a defender.

He didn’t have pocket presence, he wasn’t careful with the football and he had little idea what his opponent was trying to do in terms of defending him. He just went out there and played, which was fine most of the time. He led the Falcons to two playoff berths and one NFC Championship Game, but in all that time he never progressed as a passer. Sure, there were signs that he was starting to turn the corner (most notably in 2006, when he was impressive in performances against the Steelers, Bengals and Cowboys), but on a whole he was a glorified running back that just so happened to take the snap from center every play.

But not anymore. He’s poised, he’s confident, and most of all, he’s prepared. He’s told several media members that he never took his off-field responsibilities seriously in Atlanta (which should infuriate the Falcons considering how much money they paid him). He was never the first player in and the last player out. He rarely studied film on his own, went to lengths to work with his receivers outside of practice or met with his coaches to go over game plans in his free time. He simply went through the motions because he knew his God-given athletic ability would usually carry him through.

Then he got hauled off to prison and everything changed. He lost his fame, his fortune and was humbled in the process. He didn’t have 60,000 fans screaming his name or the opportunity to showcase his talent. He had nothing.

I’m a firm believer that people can change, but they have to suffer first. They have to be embarrassed and humbled and then they need to seek help. I wouldn’t have the faintest idea if Vick has changed his act off the field, but it’s obvious he’s a different player on it. I don’t think that happens unless he goes to prison. Even he’s admitted that he did the things he did because he thought, “I’m Mike Vick – what’s the worst that could happen?” But now he’s Michael Vick the ex-convict and someone that has to re-pay his debts (both monetary and to society). He knows that he needs football more than ever and appears to be embracing the game for the first time in his career.

Again, he has a long way to go. The Giants may expose all of his flaws this Sunday and his play could spiral downward from here on out. I actually fully expect the law of averages to eventually catch up with him and for his numbers to drop, but that doesn’t mean he’ll revert back to the player he was in Atlanta. And who knows, maybe he would have figured it out eventually with the Falcons. (It’s not like he didn’t have the talent.)

But I doubt it. I think his time behind bars served him well.

Vinnie Iyer of the Sporting News details six teams that make sense as fits for Michael Vick.

Iyer does a nice job of detailing why each of the six teams (49ers, Dolphins, Jaguars, Raiders, Redskins, Seahawks) might eventually seek Vick’s services. But of the six, I’d put my money on these two teams:

Oakland Raiders. This is a make-or-break year for JaMarcus Russell, and if Russell falters, 39-year-old Jeff Garcia is only a stopgap solution. Owner/G.M. Al Davis historically has taken chances on super-athletic players, even those with a resume of indiscretions. Vick’s strong arm and speed would be the initial attraction, but his running ability fits right in with the team’s deep and talented backfield.

Seattle Seahawks. Even though coach Jim Mora has said Seattle’s current quarterback situation wouldn’t prompt the team to go after Vick, it might be different if injuries continue to hamper Matt Hasselbeck, who turns 34 in September and has a history of back problems. The Seahawks already have a Vick-like QB in backup Seneca Wallace, but of all the offenses out there Vick would have the easiest time under Mora and Greg Knapp, his former coach and coordinator from Atlanta.

The Raiders are an easy fit for the obvious reasons: They don’t care about character, they’ve taken in delinquents before, Al Davis is bat-sh*t crazy, etc.

But the Seahawks make a lot of sense for one key reason: Jim Mora.

Now, Mora did confirm in early June that Seattle isn’t interested in Vick. But all he said was that the Seahawks were “very happy” with the quarterbacks they have on their roster.

Don’t forget that while coaching in Atlanta, Mora treated Vick like a childhood friend and often came to his defense when others criticized the inconsistent quarterback. Granted, that alone doesn’t mean that Mora would be willing to take on all of Vick’s baggage now, but considering that Matt Hasselbeck is coming off a serious back injury and Seneca Wallace proved last year that he’ll probably never be anything more than a backup, maybe Mora will eventually warm up to the idea. If anyone believed they could help turn Vick’s life around, it could be Mora, someone who already has a relationship with the troubled QB.

Of course, Vick still has to be reinstated before any team can sign him. It’s a waiting game now.

Michael Vick is officially a free man these days after being released from federal custody on Monday at his home in Virginia. He now will wait to see if NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will reinstate him into the league.

In the meantime, Vick, per ESPN.com, doesn’t want to play in Canada and “hasn’t entertained any thoughts” of joining the UFL. He’s also focused on playing quarterback if he’s reinstated (this coming from NFL.com).

Come again? Isn’t this the same Michael Vick who just spent two years in a federal penitentiary for setting up an illegal dog-fighting ring in his backyard and subsequently lying to Goodell when probed about the subject?

Granted, these are just reports and there’s a possibility that Vick never stated that he only wants to play quarterback in the NFL. After all, these aren’t actual quotes from Vick so maybe the national media is just drumming up a story that parallels his release from federal custody.

But if I’m Vick, if the freaking Toronto Argonauts need a backup punter I would be open to doing it. He’s 29 years old, hasn’t played a down of football in two years and committed one of the most heinous acts the professional sports world has seen in some time. So I would take what you can get, Mikey – especially considering that half the NFL has already stated it doesn’t want you for anything (not even a backup punter).

If Vick truly believes that he’s just going to walk back into the NFL, assume a starting quarterback role and be paid like a starting quarterback, than he’s more naïve than any of us ever imagined.

Not surprisingly, Michael Vick isn’t welcomed to stop by Atlanta Falcons headquarters anytime soon. With Vick’s release from federal prison on Wednesday, Atlanta owner Arthur Blank made it clear that his former franchise player will never play for the Falcons again.

“The Falcons maintain Michael’s contractual rights for now, but he will not be playing for us in the future. In the event NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell decides to reinstate Michael to the NFL, we feel his best opportunity to re-engage his football career would be at another club.

“From a personal standpoint, I will continue to be supportive of Michael in any way that would be positive, constructive and helpful.”

Blank made plenty of mistakes during Vick’s playing time in Atlanta. For starters, he and the Falcons coddled Vick too much and turned a blind eye when the quarterback started to make off-field headlines for the wrong reasons. They didn’t want to upset their star player and even went as far to protect him at all costs, which wound up hurting them in the end. I always thought the time Blank pushed Vick onto the field in Dallas in a wheelchair after he broke his leg was way overblown, but the situation did show that Blank got too close to his star.

That said, Vick flat out lied to Blank several times and abused his relationship with the owner. Blank gave Vick a mile and Vick took another 74 more miles. While it’s true Vick made Blank a ton of money, he also cost him millions more after the dog fighting scandal reached its pinnacle. Blank never deserved the humiliation that Vick put him through and I think it’s a testament to who he is as a person that he continues to support his former quarterback on a personal level.

But as the man said – no way will Vick ever be welcomed back by the Falcons. That franchise was put through hell by Vick and Bobby Petrino and now have a great thing building with Thomas Dimitroff, Mike Smith and of course, Matt Ryan. In the end, karma paid Blank a visit and made things even.

Let’s just hope that Blank doesn’t make the same mistakes with Ryan as he did with Vick, because no player should ever be put above the team.

Michael Vick has officially been released from federal prison.

Vick is due to return to his Hampton, Va., home and serve the remainder of his federal sentence on house arrest. He spent the past 19 months in prison after pleading guilty to bankrolling a dogfighting ring.

Vick, once the NFL’s highest-paid player, is expected to take a construction job at $10 an hour while he serves the remainder of his sentence under house arrest. He will be handed a new set of rules when he begins serving three years of probation after his expected July 20 release from federal custody.

Vick’s agent said Tuesday that the quarterback “will place football on the back burner” during his immediate home confinement and that there are no meetings scheduled with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to discuss reinstatement for the 2009 season.

“Michael’s looking forward to reacquainting himself with his family, his fiancée, Kiafa, his children and his mom,” Joel Segal, Vick’s agent, said. “When he gets home, that’s his priority, along with reinserting himself into society and being a positive influence in his community. This is going to be a special time for him, just being around family.”

Goodell has said he would wait until the end of Vick’s sentence to consider reinstatement. He has said Vick will have to persuade him and the public that he is genuinely sorry for his crime, that he has been changed by his experience and that he is committed to leading a different life.

Unless Segal was just playing to the media and wasn’t being sincere, I think Vick “putting football on the back burner” is a great idea. His life is in complete shambles right now and he needs to take one day at a time. Perhaps the most beneficial thing for him is to distance himself from anyone who had a negative effect on his life. Several reports have stated that he’s too easily influenced and if that’s the case, then he needs to surround himself with positive people. Considering he has immense financial debt, football should be the last thing on his mind.

(If anyone else wants advice about their lives or financial situation, please call my hotline at: 1-800-I-Sound-Like-Dr.-Phil-In-This-Article.)

While appearing on Dan Patrick’s radio show, SI.com’s Peter King squashed Rich Eisen’s idea that Michael Vick should go on Oprah and make a public appearance (as opposed to crawling into a hole and avoiding the public eye) once he’s out of prison.

“I don’t think Oprah Winfrey helps him at all,” King said. “He needs to say something personally to both Arthur Blank and Roger Goodell.”

King said that Vick needs to earn his honor back quietly and behind the scenes. He shouldn’t go on TV and deliver a mea culpa that may or may not be sincere.

King said the circus around Vick on a new team will be intense for two weeks, but then maybe settle down.

King said a team that’s use to attention like the Cowboys and Redskins has to take him. King said he thought the Bucs would go after him, but now they have “65 quarterbacks.”

“I’d love to have this guy on my team,” King said of Vick.

King brings up a good point in that Vick should make personal apologizes to those he lied to and not try to fix everything by making one big public appearance on a show like Oprah. As King noted, there’s a chance Vick could come off looking unapologetic and insincere during the interview and that would only hurt his public image even more. (If that’s even possible, that is.)

I’m a little surprised that King would say that he would “love” to have Vick on his team, although he might be trying to convey that Vick has done his time and deserves a second chance.

Former NFL head coach Tony Dungy visited Michael Vick at a federal prison in Leavenworth, Kansas recently and according to Vick’s agent Joel Segal, the meeting was “private” and “positive”.

Vick met with Dungy to discuss his life after he gets out of prison. He is scheduled to leave Leavenworth May 20 and serve the remainder of his sentence under home confinement at his five-bedroom home in Hampton, Va., with his fiancée and two of his children.

“I am going out there to really talk about life. To talk about the Lord,” Dungy said on the show. “I know he has made a profession that he has accepted the Lord into his life. Talk to him about what he’s going to face. Most people are going to be against him. He’s got to understand that.”

Considering all the work Dungy does with his youth boys programs, I would imagine the conversation with Vick was very positive. But everything is in Vick’s hands now. Dungy can’t be with him every second of every day to ensure he’s staying out of trouble and making something of his life. It’s up to Vick to show remorse for what he has done and to move forward with his life in a positive manner. Returning to the NFL should be the last thing on Vick’s mind right now and here’s hoping he continues to seek Dungy’s guidance from here on out.

Michael Vick is shopping a reality TV series to prospective producers.

Perhaps Michael Vick was inspired by T.I.’s “Road to Redemption” series: the incarcerated football star is now shopping around his own reality show in which cameras would follow him around after he gets out of prison for dogfighting charges.

Hollywood Reporter “said eager producers even visited the suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback in prison in the hope of signing him. As a result, there’s a few different parties claiming to have his rights, which is confusing the industry playing field.”

Vick could use the money. He owes millions to creditors.

So Vick kills a bunch of dogs and then gets to reap the rewards by selling his “story” to reality television producers? Yeah, that sounds about right.

I’d rather watch a Rams-Lions Week 17 regular season game from start to finish than just 10 minutes of Michael Vick picking his nose and trying to act remorseful on some reality TV show.

What a schmuck.

Peter King of SI.com speculates that once the Falcons release Michael Vick, two landing spots for the suspended quarterback could be Oakland and Tampa Bay.

8. I think I’m dying to know who’s going to try to sign Mike Vick when the Falcons release him. Two teams come to mind: Oakland and Tampa Bay. The Bucs are longshots, but I don’t think new GM Mark Dominick is afraid of him.

The Raiders are an easy choice, but I think King is on the right track in tossing out teams that nobody expects to take on a shot on Vick. Tampa is a long shot, but they have a new GM and head coach and could be looking for a quarterback. The Jets are another team that comes to mind that needs a quarterback and has a strong presence at head coach now in Rex Ryan that could handle Vick. (Although the New York media would absolutely hammer Vick on a daily basis.)

I don’t think you could count out a team like Washington taking a shot on Vick either with Daniel Snyder at the helm. Snyder doesn’t seem entirely sold on Jason Campbell (him trying to trade Campbell last week is evidence of that) and he’s never shy about the flashy signing. Is Vick a good fit for the West Coast Offense? No. But neither is Byron Leftwich and Snyder is pursing him.

A judge told suspended NFL quarterback Michael Vick to come up with a reasonable bankruptcy plan so that he can start getting out of the enormous debt that he owes from bad investment deals and legal fees. But apparently Vick’s plan wasn’t good enough because the judge rejected it.

Judge Frank J. Santoro called Vick’s plan unworkable Friday, saying it would leave the suspended NFL star with up to a $9 million “hole” on top of the payments he would have to make to his creditors. As of December, Vick had $16 million in assets and $20.4 million in debts, court records show.

The judge added that some of Vick’s plans to make money once he gets out of prison are speculative — including a $600,000 proposal for him to star in a documentary. And Santoro suggested that Vick should consider selling more of his assets, including one of the two houses he wants to keep for himself and his mother in Virginia.

“I am going to give you one more chance to come up with a workable reorganization plan, but that is your last chance,” Santoro told Vick, who wore a gray suit and white dress shirt to the two-day hearing. “I think it would be important for you to make the best of it.”

Santoro ordered a hearing on the status of Vick’s next bankruptcy plan for April 28. Vick’s attorneys, meanwhile, complained they have been handicapped in working with Vick because he has been imprisoned in Leavenworth, Kan. They asked Santoro to allow him to remain in a local jail here until the April 28 hearing. Santoro said he did not have the authority to do that but would consider ordering his appearance at the April 28 hearing.

If you read the entire article, you’ll get a good sense how unbelievably careless Vick was with his money. Hopefully making six cents an hour working as a prison janitor or $10 an hour working construction will teach Vick the value of money. But considering he thinks he’s going to do a documentary for $600,000, it’s clear he still has a warped sense of reality.